2007 Hyundai Entourage Limited

Fifth Place: Space Shuttles

Talk about space shuttles, the Hyundai's rocket-nozzle headlights are straight from outer fantasyland. But why should minivans be boring? The big chrome door handles set into their carved coves on each side certainly aren't. Moreover, the Entourage drew admiring comments for its plush interior. The steering wheel is as shiny as a new pair of Florsheims. The knobs and the switches drew snickers for their jumbo block lettering--who ordered the AARP option? On the road, the powertrain impresses. The engine makes a husky, well-engineered sound, and the five-speed automatic creams shifts. Acceleration is midpack by most measures, as were handling grip and braking. Passengers in the second row will find toe space limited under the front seats, blocked by what seems like a solid wall. The cushions in both rows are too low to please adults; we rated the third row least comfortable in this group. On rougher roads, the ride quality is unpleasant back there. Of all the minis, the Hyundai has the least disciplined suspension motions.

Ergonomics are mixed. The steering column tilts but doesn't telescope. Audio and HVAC controls are located high on the stack, just a short eye flick off the road. Power-seat controls are in plain sight high on the door. Two stacked glove boxes are generous in size. The driver's footrest is properly shaped.

Maximizing cargo space by removing the second row is a pig wrestle, with no good place to grab each of the 60-pounders. Folding them, on the other hand, is generally easy. A 24-pound lift, measured on an extension scale, hoists the wide side of the split third row out of the well, and it goes over center early in its arc, easing the load. From the rear, the liftgate closes with a button over your head on the bottom edge of the door, a handy location that's almost clear of the door's motion. Back-row passengers have a local button to power-open the quarter-windows, a rare feature. Can the kids be trusted?

Even though the second-row chairs fold and tilt with one touch in an inertia-driven slam-bang motion, they open only a narrow passage to the rear. To make sure our customary male view didn't miss something, we included a working mother of two in the test jury. Mom says those seats "make a guillotine" kachunk when they drop back into their floor latches. "I wouldn't want little feet anywhere near."